It is well known, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,035, to utilize a bailer pump for oil wells. Such systems utilize a reversible electric motor for lowering a bailer on a cable into a well where it is filled, raised, emptied, and recycled. Such systems are useful for recovering oil from shallow low yield wells.
However, bailer pump systems are typically operated in remote areas under adverse environmental conditions of heat and dust which exacts a high toll on electrical systems. In addition, while the above patented bailer pump works satisfactorily in lighter or less viscous oil, difficulty was encountered in attempting to get the bailer to sink into viscous oil without overloosening the tension in the cable.
The present invention is generally directed to a solid state control system for an oil well bailer which is adapted to work with various types of bailer pumps, is programmable to optimize oil well production at a minimum cost, and provides electrical components and features which are able to withstand the harsh environmental conditions under which the control system continuously works.